Fragile Love
by IceHeart-chan
Summary: A young, ill boy in hospital, and a young, healthy girl who finds him. Just how strong will their love prove to be when put to the test of sealed fates? InuKag, AU
1. Mama, Hospital, and the Pale Boy

**IceHeart:** This is my first fanfiction. For those who are reading this, I thank you and I hope you'll enjoy.

**Garnet:** In other words, this might be very OOC.

**Akira:** Maybe, but it's definitely AU!

**Garnet:** For all those wondering who made this atrocity, you should now turn to lay your eyes upon IceHeart.

**Akira:** IceHeart-chan!

**IceHeart:** Yes, well, let's continue. I can't guarantee that there will be no bad lanuage in this, but I will try to avoid it.

**Akira:** IceHeart-chan does not own Inuyasha or any of its characters!

**Garnet:** She does, however, own her own mind and her unsaid words.

**Akira:** Which is what fanfiction is for, right?

**Garnet:** No.

* * *

Kagome rushed through the halls, glancing at the numbers on the doors as she passed. She was getting out of breath, but she didn't care. The door numbered 311 finally came into view, and she wasted no time hesitating before she burst through and ran over to the bed.

"Mama!" she panted, her eyes closed from the pain of having ran all the way to the hospital from the school. "Are you okay?"

There was the sound of something shifting, and then nothing but silence. She opened her eyes, expecting to see the smiling face of her mother, and instead found herself looking at a boy.

He was frail and pale, and generally quite sickly looking. His eyes, although they were watching her, seemed to have trouble focusing. His long black hair fell limply around him, and it appeared to be a strain for him to simply sit up. From what she could see, he was wearing pure white pyjamas. He was covered in sweat, apparently from his fever.

His mouth moved to try and form words and, after a few attempts, he managed to croak out something that sounded like, "Who are you?"

It took her a moment to work out what he had asked, and she spent a few moments more taking in his appearance before she answered.

"I'm Kagome Higurashi," she said slowly. "Sorry to barge in like this, I was just..."

She stopped what she was saying, at long last noticing the sleeping woman in the bed along. As strange as it was to have two patients in one room, she thought nothing more of it. All thoughts of the boy were forgotten, and she went to stand over the lady.

"Mama," she whispered, gently nudging said person. "Mama, it's me, Kagome."

Her mother stirred a little, and then half opened her eyes to see her daughter.

"Hello, Kagome," Mrs Higurashi said, smiling weakly. "Did you have a nice day at school?"

"That doesn't matter," said Kagome, shaking her head. "Mama, you overworked yourself again!"

The woman chuckled a little, and then coughed.

"Kagome, be a dear and pour me a glass of water, would you?" Mrs Higurashi whispered, pointing to the jug and the cups on the bedside table.

Kagome did as she was told and carefully handed her mother the cup. She remembered how the boy's voice had sounded dry and poured a second cup, turning to give it to him.

He had fallen asleep, with a book that he had previously been trying to read slumped against his head. His blankets were slipping off to one side, leaving one leg and half of his torso exposed to the cold. One hand was still holding the book, and the other arm was lying carelessly at his side.

Sighing, she placed the water back on the table and proceeded to tidy him up. She took the book away and put in on the table, put his limbs back where they should be, and sorted the blankets. At least whatever illness he had wouldn't get worse. She could hear her mother chuckling behind her.

"His name is Inuyasha Yoko," Mrs Higurashi said happily. "He's lived in the hospital his whole life; he's too weak to leave. But, nevertheless, he's a kind boy. I talked to him a bit before you came."

Kagome gazed at him for a moment, then shrugged and turned around, going back to join her mother.


	2. Talk

**IceHeart:** So this is chapter two of my fanfiction. Once again, I cannot guarantee no bad lanuage.

**Garnet:** Well, this is slightly crazy.

**IceHeart:** What is?

**Garnet:** You're still here. You usually would have left _ages_ ago.

**Akira:** But IceHeart-chan likes writing.

**Garnet:** So I'm told.

**Akira:** IceHeart-chan does not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

**Garnet:** Now let's get moving.

* * *

Kagome's visits to the hospital continued frequently, with her staying for at least a few hours every day. She learned nothing new about Inuyasha, but she was glad of it. He was beginning to get quite creepy. Every time she entered the room he would stop whatever he was doing and watch her until she left.

But one day, to her dismay, she came in to find her mother fast asleep. And Inuyasha stopped to watch her again. Both of these things teamed together did not make her feel very at ease. So the words she heard next made her blood run cold.

"Do you like books?" asked a familiar, no longer hoarse, voice.

Reluctantly, she fixed her attention on the boy.

He'd been recovering quite well since the first time she'd met him, and he was visibly healthier. His eyes were no longer unfocused, and they held a dangerous sparkle. His skin had proven to be just a little less pale than it had first appeared, and his hair was undeniably vibrant. He now sat up with ease, and was doing so at that moment.

"What?" she asked, not quite believing what she had just heard.

"Do you like books?" he repeated, and went on when she didn't respond. "I have a lot of different kinds in the drawer. If you want to, you can read them while you wait for Mrs Higurashi to wake up."

She shook her head, eager to get home and escape from him. She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off quickly.

"Or, if that won't do, I know a channel on TV that always has really good comedian acts playing."

He spoke calmly, but there was an air about it that made it feel like he was rushing. It made her feel queasy and she had to swallow to be able to speak again, suddenly finding that her throat was dry.

"No," she said, her voice shaking. "It's kind of you to offer, but I must be getting home."

She walked over to the door and was just about to open it when a thought struck her. She didn't like Inuyasha. She didn't like him, but he wouldn't quit bothering her. Maybe if she acted rude enough he would start to hate her and leave her alone.

With this thought in mind she dragged a chair over to his bed and sat down on it.

"Actually," she said, making sure she sounded confident. "Why don't we talk?"

A sly smile slipped onto his face, the light in his eyes becoming even more dangerous than before. It was as if he had seen right through her, and it made her feel unsafe.

"Of course," he agreed, sounding more than a little sarcastic. "Why didn't I ever think of that before?"

And that did it for her. She decided that she was no longer going to have any mercy on him. She would start her torture now. An insult sounded like the best way to start.

But which insult should she use? 'Punk' was a little out of date. 'Kid' would just be stupid; he looked at least a year or two older than her. 'Loser' just sounded lame. There was nothing else she was prepared to call him.

It suddenly dawned upon her that she was being a cow. No one with a heart would ever plan to hurt a hospitalised person who just wanted company.

And, once again, it was as though he had noticed the fire in her eyes going out. He let his smile turn into a warmer, friendlier one and his eyes returned to normal, where the light moved more calmly.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked, his voice full of comfort and acceptance.

She swore she could have melted at that moment. Something in her decided to make her heart beat fast and her stomach do summersaults. She could have killed that something inside of her.

She thought for a few minutes, trying to come up with something suitable to discuss. He waited patiently for her to speak, his face showing no signs of annoyance.

"An introduction would be good," she said. "I know we've already met each other, but we haven't really. Not properly."

He nodded, seeming to understand what she was saying.

"I'm Kagome Higurashi," she started, looking straight into his eyes for the first time. "I'm fifteen, though I'll be turning sixteen in three months. I live with Mama, Grandpa and my little brother, Sota."

"I see," he said, though he sounded like he was in a bad mood. "And who's the too-lucky-for-his-own-good chap who gets to call you his bird?"

"What?" she squeaked, not understanding a word he had just said, although there was a creeping suspicion that it meant no good.

"Who's your boyfriend?" he translated, sounding even more peeved than before.

She blinked a few times, letting his words sink in, and then managed to choke out, "I haven't got one."

All of his anger seemed to disappear after that, and he returned to smiling with meaning.

"I'm Inuyasha Yoko, I just turned seventeen yesterday. I live in this hospital room alone, usually, although they put Mrs Higurashi in here because they ran out of room. Mother's a nurse here, and she comes to visit when she can," he recited, his eyes never once leaving Kagome's own. "Also, no girlfriend."

"Well," said Kagome, a genuine smile on her face. "At least you're recovering from your fever."

He nodded, and then stopped and grinned.

"Hey, that reminds me of a comedian's joke!" he laughed. 

When Mrs Higurashi woke up many hours later, she was surprised to look over and find her daughter and Inuyasha laughing and discussing various comedy acts.


	3. The Mind Becomes Weak

**IceHeart:** Another chapter!

**Akira:** Yay!

**IceHeart:** My warning from last time still applies.

**Garnet:** IceHeart-chan does not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Trust me, if she did, you'd _really_ notice.

**Akira:** Time for the next chapter!

* * *

When Kagome came in the next day, Inuyasha was fast asleep. There was a woman who was wearing a nurse outfit laying a wet cloth on his head and humming a lullaby. She seemed distracted, so Kagome took this time to watch her.

She knew that Inuyasha had said that he didn't have a girlfriend, but that didn't stop girls from falling in love with him. It was perfectly possible that this beautiful nurse with soft black hair could have a crush on him. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, although she didn't know why. The nurse would certainly be a beautiful match for Inuyasha, and she could tell that it would be good for his mental health to be happily in love.

Still, she couldn't stop her anger from rising. She wasn't in love with Inuyasha, but she didn't like the nurse getting too close to him.

"Hello. Can I help you?" asked a smooth, feminine voice.

It took a few moments for Kagome to work out that the nurse had spoken, and a few moments more to force a smile onto her lips.

"No," she said, her voice clearly showing her resentment. "I'm fine, thanks."

She walked over to her mother's bed and put her bag down on the floor beside her. She felt rigid and stiff, and her mother wasn't helping by once again being asleep. She could feel the nurse staring at her, and it took all she had in her not to turn around and snap.

She poked her mother in the arm a few times, and then shook her lightly. Mrs Higurashi stirred a little and muttered something before she went back to dreamland.

"Mama!" hissed Kagome, beginning to get frightened by the attention the nurse was giving her. "Mama, I'm here. It's time to wake up."

She heard shifting behind her, and the sound of something being put down on a wooden table. And then there was the sound of footsteps, and they got closer to her. She forced herself to turn around and look straight into the brown eyes in front of her. They were icy cold, and Kagome swore she felt the temperature in the room drop.

"What business do you have with Mrs Higurashi?" asked the nurse, sounding none too pleased.

"Me?" squeaked Kagome, nervously. "I'm her daughter."

A look of shock came across the nurse's face.

"You're Kagome?" she whispered.

Kagome nodded, feeling a strange change in the atmosphere. Then, all at once, the icy look in her eyes melted away and a genuinely happy smile graced the nurse's features.

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you!" she blurted, grabbing Kagome's hand and shaking it vigorously. "I'm Kikyo, Inuyasha's mother! My son has told me so much about you!"

Kikyo grabbed two nearby chairs and pulled them over to be beside each other, sitting down on one and pulling Kagome down into the other before releasing her hand.

Kikyo seemed to realise what she was doing for a moment and put her hands to her heart, breathing deeply. When she had calmed down, she let her hands fall back down to her lap and turned to face Kagome.

"Inuyasha told me a lot about you," she continued, the excitement threatening to creep back into her voice again. "He says you came in one day and helped him when he fell asleep in the cold. He says you walk like an enchanted mermaid **(1)**. He says your voice is like an angel's flute. He says your smile is as pretty as the sunset. In fact, the way he talks about you, you'd think you were Aphrodite **(2)** born in a human body!"

She could feel her face heating up with embarrassment, and her heart and stomach were doing the same weird thing they had done yesterday. But Kikyo continued on.

"And then, yesterday, he told me he was certain you were a Tennyo **(3)**. He told me you were sweet, beautiful, single, and knew about some really funny comedians."

Kikyo stopped and looked down at her hands, a sad and worried look on her face. She was fidgeting a little, and glancing up at Kagome every now and then.

"Hey," the nurse said after a few moments of silence. "I shouldn't really be saying this, but I feel like I can trust you. It's about Inuyasha."

Kagome watched as the elder's eyes glazed over.

"Everybody knows that Inuyasha has done very well to survive up until this point. He was very weak when he was born, and we were all sure that he'd die within the hour. Even Sesshomaru was crying that day. It was amazing that he managed to push through. But now the doctors are starting to say that he won't make it. The reason he managed to stay alive was out of sheer willpower. But his mental health is starting to spiral downwards, and his mind is too weak to resist. Death could come at any time."

Tears began to form in the older woman's eyes, and Kagome felt her heart sink. Things were a lot worse than they appeared.

"People are starting to say that it would be kinder just to kill him..."

Kikyo broke down into uncontrollable sobs, and Inuyasha sat up to watch them. But nobody noticed him, and continued as they were.

"I just don't know what to do!" she hiccupped. "We've tried everything to make him feel happier, but nothing's working! He just seems to keep on getting sadder every time! I'm so confused!"

Kagome wrapped her arms around the sobbing woman and pulled her into a hug, whispering comforting words. She knew that, now that she was in on the death secret, she too would be fighting to make Inuyasha happy.

And Inuyasha, from his unnoticed spot on his bed, marvelled at how the light from the window seemed to surround Kagome like a beam from heaven. And he was certain that, upon her back, he saw a pair of transparent angel wings.

* * *

**IceHeart:** Just some things I need to put some information about in case you don't understand the reference or know about them.

**(1)** In the original story of "**The Little Mermaid**", every step the mermaid took felt like a thousand knives were being forced into her foot. But, in return, every step she took was the most graceful thing ever seen.

**(2)** Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Needless to say, she was supposed to be stunningly beautiful.

**(3) **A Tennyo is a Celestial Maiden. They're supposed to appear as unnaturally beautiful women.


	4. The Plan

**IceHeart: **It's not really a good chapter, but it's necessary.

**Garnet:** Whatever. Let's just get this over with. We can't say there won't be any bad lanuage, and IceHeart-chan owns neither Inuyasha or its characters.

**Akira:** Whee!

* * *

Kagome sighed as she walked along, causing her chatting group of friends to stop and look at her curiously. She had been spacing out while they walked, and they were already half way to school. They walked faster to catch up with her and immediately began to speak, making her come back to Earth.

"What's wrong?" asked Eri, looking genuinely concerned. "You look kind of down."

"Are you having boy problems?" probed Yuka.

"Not quite," said Kagome, her eyes clouding over again in deep thought. "It does involve a boy, but it's not what you think."

Her three friends glanced at each other quizzically and then gestured for her to continue.

"In the hospital, there's this boy that Mama has to share a room with," she explained. "He's been in hospital all his life and his mother, Kikyo, works as a nurse. He's nice and sweet, although a little creepy."

"Creepy?" repeated Eri, looking worried.

"He has this weird obsession with me," said Kagome, cringing at the thought of it. "He was always watching me whenever I came to visit Mama. And Kikyo told me that he thinks I'm a Tennyo. He talks very highly of me."

"The guy's a nutter!" shrieked Yuka, her eyes wide in shock. "You better stay clear of him! Who knows what he'll do!"

Kagome only shook her head.

"I've talked to him a couple of times before," she said, smiling at the memory. "He's a good person. He knows way too much about comedians too be dangerous. And he's too weak to be violent."

"Is he ill or something?" asked Ayumi.

"Yeah, that's why he's in hospital. He's really something, staying alive for all these years. But he's rapidly losing the willpower to keep death at bay, and..."

She didn't need to say any more for the others to understand.

"I need to cure him from his current state of mind," she continued after a moment's pause. "If I can just make him feel that life is worth living, then I can save him. But there's only so much of him that I can take."

"That sounds hard," said Eri. "Maybe you should ask Hojo for some advice."

"Don't bother!" sighed Yuka, shaking her head. "He's away camping in the mountains for a week. He was saying something about how good the fresh air is for you. Seriously! What a weirdo."

"Well, they do say that it's healthier to be outside," said Ayumi. "Right, Kagome?"

But said person was no longer listening. She had stopped walking a few minutes before. A smile was creeping onto her face, and she looked as though she had just seen an angel.

"Kagome?" asked Yuka, worried about what her friend might be reacting to.

"Fresh air _is_ good for you!" she shouted suddenly, causing the three girls to stumble backwards in surprise. "And the world is such a beautiful place that just seeing it _once_ is enough to make you treasure it!"

And then she was gone, running off to school before anybody had the chance to even ask what she was talking about.

**

* * *

**When Kagome entered the room that day, Kikyo was tidying books into a drawer. She turned to greet her with a warm smile, but put her finger to her lips to silence her.

"Please be quiet today, Kagome," whispered Kikyo. "Inuyasha's medicine has just taken effect and it would be a shame if we woke him."

"Okay," replied Kagome, also whispering. "But I was wondering if I could have a chat with you. I have something I want to ask you."

Kikyo nodded and slipped the last book into place before closing the drawer. She led Kagome out of the room and closed the door gently behind them. She then turned to face the girl and nodded, signalling for her to go on.

"Has Inuyasha ever been outside the hospital?" she asked, excitement showing in her eyes.

Kikyo shook her head, too tired to realise the obvious.

"Has Inuyasha ever been to school?"

She shook her head again.

"Do you think that if I arranged for him to spend a week in my class, he would enjoy it?"

She nodded, yawning as she did so.

"Enough to make him want to live?"

She half nodded, and then stopped, looking at Kagome with a mysterious glint in her eye.

* * *

**IceHeart:** The next chapter will be better.

**Garnet:** Says you.


	5. A Day of Misfortune

**IceHeart:** Sorry that it took so long...

**Garnet: **There's hardly anything in this chapter!

**IceHeart:** But I got stuck trying to make one event flow into another...

**Garnet:** Useless.

**Akira:** IceHeart-chan does not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. If she did, it wouldn't even be recognisable!

* * *

Kagome watched the teacher write his name on the board, the chalk making a peaceful clicking sound every time it made contact. Today was the day that Inuyasha came to spend a week at school with her. She had been looking forward to the event ever since both the hospital and the school had approved it.

Inuyasha stood at the front of the class, shifting nervously. He looked strange in the black uniform, probably because she had come to see him as someone who was meant to wear white. His simple grey bag was tattered and scruffy, and he carried it in his hand instead of on his back. His hair had been scraped back into a high ponytail; although one section had been ignored and fell down to hide his left eye from sight. He was going to stick out like a sore thumb.

She could hear her friends whispering to each other.

"What kind of a name is Inuyasha?" started Yuka.

"And why's he so pale?" added Eri.

"Is he from Europe?" asked Ayumi excitedly.

Kagome paid no attention to them. Instead she waved to Inuyasha, who saw and waved back, looking a bit more confident.

"Class, this is Inuyasha Yoko," said the teacher. "Sadly, he's only with us for a week. But I hope you can all get along with him."

The teacher checked something in a notebook before telling Inuyasha to sit beside Kagome. He did so with glee.

"Hi," whispered Kagome, smiling as he sat down.

"Good morning," he replied, smiling warmly back at her.

And thus class commenced.

* * *

The rumours about Inuyasha spread like wildfire. Although the class usually welcomed new students, they all agreed that there was something off about him. His hair was too long, his eyes were too deep, and his face was too pale. There was a sense of grief radiating from him that deterred the others from accepting him.

And so it was no surprise to hear that Inuyasha had had to return to hospital after he suffered a "trip" down a particularly long flight of stairs. And, to those who would observe the situation, it would be of no surprise to hear that the other students were relieved to have him go. Somehow, with him in the room, the seconds seemed to tick by slower.

But the unspoken party was ended suddenly when Kagome Higurashi, after being called up to have a quiet word with the teacher, grabbed her things and left the room with genuine worry written all over her face. They were then informed that the shock from falling had brought back a life threatening illness that Inuyasha had had when he was younger. And in that instance the class went from celebrating his absence to wishing that he would come back safe.


End file.
